Prestwich has been named as one of the best places to live in the North West in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.

The town has featured among six other locations in the region in the guide which includes 72 locations across the UK.

Prestwich was one of two locations in Greater Manchester to make the list, including Stockport, which was named the overall best place to live in the region.

Four other towns in the North West, including Ribble Valley, Lancashire, Christleton and Knutsford, Cheshire, Kendal, Cumbria and Sefton Park, Liverpool, also made the list.

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A spokesperson for The Sunday Times said: “Prestwich is where you come if you want to enjoy Manchester’s buzz and have an affordable redbrick house with a garden.

“There’s a lively restaurant scene, a choice of parks and plenty going on, and the tram makes getting to the city centre a doddle.”

The Sunday Times’ expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.

The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny Scottish island of Kerrera and the remote Welsh village of Presteigne to big, lively cities such as Belfast, Leeds and Liverpool.

There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide and no place for previous winners such as York and Bristol - the judges looked for improving locations with a strong sense of community rather than famous names with high house prices.

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: “This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2024, from Dunkeld to Knutsford, Falmouth to Leeds.

"Wherever you are on the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you.

“These are all places where you can feel grounded as well as upwardly mobile: they have a mature sense of community, lively, supportive high streets and an eye to the future, whether that is eco-friendly measures, transport and regeneration, or imaginative inclusion of new housing.”

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The guide has again been sponsored by the mortgage lender Halifax, which has provided an average house price for each location.

Broadband speeds were provided by Thinkbroadband.com, the UK’s leading independent guide to broadband.

For more information on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live, go to thetimes.co.uk/best-places-to-live